Gain an understanding of the current state of the teacher shortage in 九游体育 Illinois. Analyze the region's challenges and discover strategies that are being implemented to attract teachers back to our local communities.聽
Interest in Education Professions has Lowered
The 九游体育 Illinois region, much like the rest of the country, is experiencing a shortage of educators. Teachers play a pivotal role in maintaining an efficient and highly effective education system. They are vital for ensuring communities continue to thrive and remain competitively educated. WSIL journalists conducted interviews with local experts to gain a better understanding of the teacher shortage and its impact. Joshua Stafford, Superintendent of Vienna School District, discussed the ways in which his school district is feeling the effects of the shortage: 鈥淔ive years ago, for an instructional position, we would have easily received 80 applicants for nearly any teaching position that we posted. And today there are times where we receive five or less. We had a couple of high school math teaching positions open in recent years, and received zero applicants.鈥�
Stafford notes there are multiple factors contributing to the shortage of teachers, ranging from retirement concerns, school culture, base pay and more. Stafford says this is a problem faced by districts all across the 九游体育 Illinois region and the country.聽
Melanie Andrews, Superintendent at Mount Vernon Township High School, expressed the same concerns. Andrews cited even larger schools in densely populated areas are struggling: 鈥淲e are one of the largest employers in Jefferson County鈥� When we even have problems filling teaching positions you know it's a huge problem. It used to be that we see shortages in science and special ed, those were the two (now) there are shortages everywhere.鈥�
Multiple Factors Contributing to the Shortage
Andrews warns the tactics being used by schools to attract future teachers, 鈥渁re not working anymore.鈥� Both Stafford and Andrews expressed concern over 鈥淭ier-Two鈥� teacher pensions, citing the benefits these pensions provide might not be enough to entice potential teachers to pursue a career in education.聽
Andrews explains the dominant factors she has seen impact the district's ability to acquire teachers such as: pay, lack of respect for the profession and work culture/climate. A sentiment which was echoed by Stafford.聽
According to a study released on January 28th 2023, by the Illinois Association of Regional School superintendents found the most severe issues causing educator positions to go unfilled were: too demanding of workload, the ability to be better compensated in another district or profession, the political climate of the state/nation and community perceptions of the educator profession. To combat the shortage of teachers, many districts are having to hire long-term substitutes or even utilize retired educators.聽
There is a major emphasis on keeping educators within the community, as the majority of educators return to their hometowns to pursue careers as teachers or administrators. 鈥淭here was a research study, out of SIU Carbondale, that analyzed the entire state鈥� Where do the majority of teachers come from?鈥� The median average of where people currently teach and where they went to school growing up is 13 miles, so that tells you a lot.鈥澛� said Stafford.
Changes in Teacher Pensions and their Effects
A concern expressed by both Stafford and Andrews was teacher pension plans. Particularly, tier two pensions plans. While those who have been in education for quite some time, have access to tier one plans, allowing them to retire at 55, new educators will be restricted to the tier two plans. These plans might delay retirement to as late as 67 years old. Both Stafford and Andrews see this as a huge hurdle for young educators and fear it is turning young people away from the teaching profession. Andrews described the tier two system: 鈥淚鈥檓 in tier one, which means that, if I meet certain requirements, years of service, age, and things like that, I could possibly retire at the age of 55鈥� For those individuals who are tier two, there are more restrictions involved in that鈥� If they are wanting full retirement they have to meet certain restrictions, and their retirement age would be 67鈥� 67 years old, that's a big difference when you may be teaching kindergartners or something like that.鈥�
The worry is young people who may have an interest in teaching will see the length of career they will need to have to retire, and be turned off by the idea. 鈥淚 think we really have to evaluate our tier two situation, as people, as our young people, and maybe our high schoolers consider career pathways and what that looks like,鈥� said Stafford.
Teacher Shortage Long-Term Effects
Labor shortages are very common in large economies, and can happen anywhere from education, to trades, to healthcare. However, these shortages can have damaging effects on their industry, and for those in education the immediate concern is the impact an unaddressed shortage will have on the quality of education our children receive. Stafford described the potential effects of a long-term shortage: 鈥淚f you have substitutes filling classroom instruction鈥� if that鈥檚 not their content area, if that鈥檚 not their specialty, and if maybe they are only there for two months and there is a new sub two months after that, it kind of becomes this revolving door. You now have consistency and stability issues, and that concerns me鈥� what鈥檚 the domino effect of that?鈥�
Stafford emphasizes it will become harder to ensure children are prepared for the next grade if they are given an inconsistent education, via a constantly revolving list of substitutes. Considering the shortage has not yet reached that point, it is unknown what the long term effects would truly be. Andrews cited her main concern being class sizes, and the inability for children to get the one-on-one instruction they may need to thrive in the classroom: 鈥淵ou鈥檒l have to do more with less, so you are looking at larger class sizes鈥� We like to keep our classes in the 20s, when you don鈥檛 have teachers you might have to put 35, 36, 37 kids in a class. If you have 33, 34, 35 kindergarteners in a class, those kids are not getting the individualized attention that they deserve.鈥�
Government Involvement and Local Efforts
The Illinois government has passed laws in 2022, allowing for an extension in the amount of time a substitute can fill in for teachers, and making it easier to both renew and receive your teaching license, but there are concerns this might not be enough. Andrews hopes the Illinois General Assembly will look into tier two pensions and look to ease some of the restrictions. 鈥淚 think that would be a huge incentive to get more people into the educational field,鈥� said Andrews. Currently, Governor Pritzker has taken further steps to combat the shortage in 2023, with the passing of House Bill 1291, which increases the annual pay cap for teachers with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards designations.聽
Locally, school districts are working together to continue to provide high quality education to the community. Many schools are sending teachers across district lines to other schools, according to Stafford: 鈥淛ohnson County has some geographical favorability in the southern 14 counties鈥� So we are able to recruit high quality teachers鈥� from really that geographical region because we鈥檙e central. Our neighboring counties don鈥檛 necessarily have the geographical favorability.鈥� Stafford explains, Vienna has sent many teachers to struggling teachers to teach classes in subjects such as drivers education. He highlights the special nature of education as an industry in which districts should be highly incentivized to work together for the benefit of children across the region.聽
One way educators are doing this is through the 九游体育 Illinois Future Teachers Coalition, whose mission is to address the teacher shortage with targeted programming at the local level. Stafford says the organization has grown to include 20 K -12 school districts, partnered with local community colleges and 九游体育 Illinois University Carbondale. 鈥淚t has a mission of establishing clubs for future educators,鈥� said Stafford. These clubs, called 鈥淓ducators Rising鈥� locally, are meant to introduce young people to education as a career pathway before they reach college. To make this even more enticing, Stafford states many of these clubs offer dual credit coursework in education for high school students, allowing them to begin working towards that career early. According to Stafford, the program appears to be seeing some success: 鈥渞ecently we鈥檝e been seeing the fruits of that labor as those students are able to come back and come work for us locally. Right now we have three 2020 graduates.. They accelerated their bachelors degree completion, and they are back working for our school district.鈥�
Getting Educators Back in Our Schools
Both Andrews and Stafford reiterate there is no way to solve this shortage overnight, however, the future is promising. Seeing the success of local programs slowly gain traction, and seeing the state government take notice and get involved. The hope is in the coming years, changes are put in place to drastically increase the attractiveness of teaching jobs both locally and nationally. Better retirement and pay, might be at the forefront of changes to come, and hopes are changes in those sectors will increase the teacher supply, limiting symptoms of the shortage such as: large workloads and class sizes. With this many eyes on the issues, now is the time to be an optimist, and expect the future to be filled with well compensated, happy teachers.聽
This article is part of WSIL-TV’s Building a Better Community Initiative Education Pillar. Find this, along with other reports from our Building a Better Community Initiative, on the NEWS 3 mobile app and .
